1n50mn14
01-28-2008, 01:50 AM
They were sailing to find the end of the world, and knew not what they would find. The ship, Providence, was the last of her kind, tall masted, whose sails looming massive and white. The sea was a cruel mistress, as the crew well knew, and they lived in fear of her as intelligent sailors do.
They had been sailing for years on the ship Providence, a motley assortment of sailors assembled to find the end of the world. Edward's young bride had died shortly after they were wed, and unable to bear the grief and continue on in civilian life, he enlisted on the ship. Edward no longer dreamt of the green fields of England, nor missed them, for he did not remember what they looked like. The only sight he knew was that of the sea, waters ranging from a pale, clear blue to deepest navy, long nights navigating by the stars, battling forty foot waves and leaving the miles behind in the wake.
Edward would awake from tumultuous nightmares of endless blackness, of a sheer drop where the water tumbled into a star ridden void. He dreamt of his young bride there, a maiden of the stars; forlorn and alone. In his dreams, she came to him as an albatross, the symbol of good fortune to sailors such as he. The seas rolled and pitched violently, but once the albatross graced his dreams, he slept soundly.
He knew now of strange lands where it was so humid he glistened with moisture, of strange, brown, naked people, spices and fruits, precious metals and stones from the ground, exotic animals with long necks and stripes. His arms were strong with muscle from letting up sails and working the ship, gathering food to store in the hold whenever the ship stopped at land. He was used to being lonely; he had been lonely before the ship left, and the quiet ocean was a welcome respite from the noise, disease and crowds of England.
The sun had not risen for three weeks when the albatross lit upon the mast, glowing like a full moon. The ship Providence sailed into an ever blacker night, unable to see what lay ahead. The men were in a deep gloom, blind still in the night, unable to adjust to the darkness because it grew continually darker. The albatross' opal shine lit the deck dimly, and drew the men to stare at the bird.
Edward's heart beat in his chest, full of a strange wonder at this bird that had flown for months straight, at least, to reach the ship. They'd left the last land behind six months ago. The albatross' opal neck was the same color as the skin of his wife, as her pale, translucent breasts. The rich chestnut brown of the bird's wings mirrored her lush hair. He avoided the bird’s eyes, frightened of the wisdom there, and that they may contain the same twinkle as the eyes of his dead bride. And as he gazed out over the stern of the boat and failed to see the glint of the waters and only an empty blackness, he knew they had reached the end of the world.
Now they sailed not under the stars, but amidst them, a full, heavenly wind catching the sails and billowing them to push them onward through endless heavens. The fathoms dropped away beneath the ship Providence and every man on board ran to her edge, hanging over the edge precariously, staring at all the stars and chattering like small boys on their first boat ride. Wonder, awe.
Edward stood still at the stern, his hands cupped as though to shield his eyes from the glare of a sun left long behind, as he peered into space trying to glimpse the Earth. The ship left no wake behind her, nor did she any longer roll with the movement of waves. He spun suddenly on his heel to stare at the mast where the albatross had sat, but the majestic bird had gone.
His wife strolled across the deck barefoot and luminous, a creature of immense beauty, and they stood in an embrace as they sailed away from the end of the world.
They had been sailing for years on the ship Providence, a motley assortment of sailors assembled to find the end of the world. Edward's young bride had died shortly after they were wed, and unable to bear the grief and continue on in civilian life, he enlisted on the ship. Edward no longer dreamt of the green fields of England, nor missed them, for he did not remember what they looked like. The only sight he knew was that of the sea, waters ranging from a pale, clear blue to deepest navy, long nights navigating by the stars, battling forty foot waves and leaving the miles behind in the wake.
Edward would awake from tumultuous nightmares of endless blackness, of a sheer drop where the water tumbled into a star ridden void. He dreamt of his young bride there, a maiden of the stars; forlorn and alone. In his dreams, she came to him as an albatross, the symbol of good fortune to sailors such as he. The seas rolled and pitched violently, but once the albatross graced his dreams, he slept soundly.
He knew now of strange lands where it was so humid he glistened with moisture, of strange, brown, naked people, spices and fruits, precious metals and stones from the ground, exotic animals with long necks and stripes. His arms were strong with muscle from letting up sails and working the ship, gathering food to store in the hold whenever the ship stopped at land. He was used to being lonely; he had been lonely before the ship left, and the quiet ocean was a welcome respite from the noise, disease and crowds of England.
The sun had not risen for three weeks when the albatross lit upon the mast, glowing like a full moon. The ship Providence sailed into an ever blacker night, unable to see what lay ahead. The men were in a deep gloom, blind still in the night, unable to adjust to the darkness because it grew continually darker. The albatross' opal shine lit the deck dimly, and drew the men to stare at the bird.
Edward's heart beat in his chest, full of a strange wonder at this bird that had flown for months straight, at least, to reach the ship. They'd left the last land behind six months ago. The albatross' opal neck was the same color as the skin of his wife, as her pale, translucent breasts. The rich chestnut brown of the bird's wings mirrored her lush hair. He avoided the bird’s eyes, frightened of the wisdom there, and that they may contain the same twinkle as the eyes of his dead bride. And as he gazed out over the stern of the boat and failed to see the glint of the waters and only an empty blackness, he knew they had reached the end of the world.
Now they sailed not under the stars, but amidst them, a full, heavenly wind catching the sails and billowing them to push them onward through endless heavens. The fathoms dropped away beneath the ship Providence and every man on board ran to her edge, hanging over the edge precariously, staring at all the stars and chattering like small boys on their first boat ride. Wonder, awe.
Edward stood still at the stern, his hands cupped as though to shield his eyes from the glare of a sun left long behind, as he peered into space trying to glimpse the Earth. The ship left no wake behind her, nor did she any longer roll with the movement of waves. He spun suddenly on his heel to stare at the mast where the albatross had sat, but the majestic bird had gone.
His wife strolled across the deck barefoot and luminous, a creature of immense beauty, and they stood in an embrace as they sailed away from the end of the world.